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H ollyn looked at today’s to-do list and back up at Yumia. Was she joking? The list of chores had tripled, and it would take well into the night to complete all of it. And first on the list was to paint the white roses red. What the hell? That was just insane.

“Yumia, we need to talk.”

“I don’t have time to talk, and from the looks of this list, I don’t think you do either.”

Yumia turned away, and an incredulous laugh spilled from Hollyn’s lips.

Once Yumia was out of the room, Hollyn mimed several screams at the door where Yumia had disappeared.

Hollyn was at the end of her rope. She was ready to leave.

Clearly, she wasn’t going to learn how to use her magic.

The only thing she was doing was setting up Yumia’s home to be a great place to live… for Yumia.

She needed to find Thian and convince him to take her back to Hanupali City. From there, she’d find someone…anyone…to take her back to the surface. Maybe she wasn’t ready to face her father yet, but she didn’t have a choice. Tomorrow was the deadline, and Hollyn had wasted enough time down here.

Hollyn searched the caves until she found Thian in the one that served as a kitchen. She looked around at the clean surfaces and organized cabinets. Hollyn was the reason it looked as good as it did. She’d cleaned this space the first day. It infuriated her to be back in here.

Thian turned and greeted her with an obvious sensual smile, letting his gaze start at the floor and skim up to meet her eyes.

“Can I speak with you?”

“I’m open to anything with you.”

Hollyn chose not to acknowledge the obvious innuendo in his words. This was not the time, and she was more focused on using him to get her the hell out of here than she was focused on using him in any other way.

“Are you open to helping me get out of here?”

Despite the words he’d uttered mere seconds before, he didn’t immediately jump at her request.

“Is this because of the video of Kai?”

“What? No! I just need to get back to the surface. I’m over all the chores without any instruction, and I’m out of time.” She crossed her arms. “Are you willing to help me or not?”

He maneuvered around the island countertop between them until he faced her and rested his hands on her upper arms. “I’m sure the video was shocking, but I want you to know that I’m here for you.”

“Thanks? Look, maybe I’ll deal with Kai and whatever that video shows happening once I break free from Grigori, my evil warlock father who wants to imprison me and use my tears to enhance his magic for the rest of my life. That is priority one. Now, are you going to help me or not?”

Thian stared at her, eyes wide, shock covering his features. He seemed at a loss for words.

“Well, if you’re not going to help me, then stay out of my way.”

Hollyn turned to go out the door, but Thian grabbed her arm and spun her around, pulling her into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, closed his eyes, and lowered his mouth as if he were going to kiss her.

Hollyn acted quickly and shoved her hand between them, facepalming Thian before he could do something she’d have to slam a fist into his face for.

“What the hell, Thian?”

He dropped his hands to his sides and stepped back, staring at her in shock once more. “I’m sorry. I thought I was picking up a vibe.”

“No! No vibe. We are not vibing at all.” Hollyn gave a frustrated groan and turned to leave once more. “Just leave me alone. I’m going to find Yumia.”

Hollyn couldn’t believe this was actually happening.

Not only had she been dragged into the ocean by a man whose loyalty she now questioned, not only had she been dropped into a Cinderella story without the talking rodents, but now she had to fend off the advances of the one person who could have helped her escape.

She’d had enough, and she was going to tell Yumia just that.

After about ten minutes, she located Yumia back in the room with the white roses, red paint bottle and paint brush sitting next to them. She sat in an armchair next to the roses and met Hollyn’s gaze the minute she stepped into the room.

“These roses aren’t going to paint themselves, Hollyn.”

“You’re right. They’re not. And I’m also not painting them either.

I refuse to do anything else on your insane to-do list. That is not what I came here for, and I am fed up with waiting for you to give me even the first clue of how to use my magic to face Grigori.

Honestly, I’m starting to think you’ve been working for Grigori all this time.

I am pissed off, and I’m not taking this anymore. ”

“Finally! That’s the spirit! You do have a backbone.”

“What?”

“It’s about time you faced your resentment. Look at your hands.”

Hollyn shook her head but dropped her gaze to her hands. They glowed blue with an energy she’d never produced before.

“What is this?”

“That is the magic you’ve repressed deep inside you for years.

I’m sure Grigori worked long and hard to make sure you never manifested the power inside you.

But just like your sadness can enhance his magic, your emotions can help you release all that you’ve suppressed deep inside you.

The trick now that it’s free is to make sure you control the magic through thought not feeling. ”

Hollyn focused on Yumia again. “Are you saying you tortured me these past three days to get me to release my suppressed anger?”

“Something like that. Anytime you’d show even the slightest hint of anger or frustration or anything, I’m sure Grigori found a way to make you regret it.”

“Usually by punishing my mother.”

“As a result, you learned to push those feelings under the surface. He made you fear your own anger, but anger is a natural emotion. It’s what you do with it that matters.

After he’d gotten you to repress any of your feelings, the only emotion he could still get you to generate was sadness because that served his purpose.

” She stood up and crossed the room until she stood in front of Hollyn.

“I had to push you to acknowledge that your feelings were valid. By doing that, you’ve taken your first step toward taking control of your power.

He’ll have a hard time controlling you now. ”

Everything suddenly made sense, and relief filled her as she realized she was more powerful than she’d ever known. Grigori had controlled her for years, but he didn’t anymore.

“You said you knew his biggest weakness, and that you’d show me how to exploit it.”

“His biggest weakness is that he really has no control over you. Yes, he has your mother and your aunt, and he’ll try to use them to get you to bend to his will, but in reality, they’re more powerful than he is.

He’s weak. The only way he feels strong is by hurting others.

But if no one plays along, he has no strength. You just have to remind him of that.”

“How do I drown him in a blast of water?”

“Hollyn, there are no limits on the energy you can send. It doesn’t have to manifest in water form. You can do so much more.”

Hollyn felt the magic flowing freely throughout her body.

A blue glow filled the room and the medallion with the heart-shaped jewel hanging around her neck began to pulse.

From across the room, she removed the lid of the bottle of paint and the paintbrush seemingly floated upright, dipped into the red paint, and began lightly stroking the nearest rose petal, turning the bright white into a deep red.

Power suffused her being, and for the first time ever, she understood her own strength and how right it felt to be able to control it.